Fact Check by CyberPoe: Viral “Elderly Couple in Cebu Floods” Images Not from the Philippines
Claim
A series of images circulating on Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) claimed to show an elderly couple stranded during Typhoon Kalmaegi in Cebu, Philippines. The posts, shared widely in early November 2025, described the couple as symbols of “unbreakable love in the midst of disaster” and were framed as powerful visuals of Filipino resilience amid the storm’s devastation.
However, the claim is entirely false. The photos are not from the Philippines and have no connection to Typhoon Kalmaegi.
Origin of the Video
Through reverse image analysis, CyberPoe traced the viral visuals to Poza Rica de Hidalgo in Veracruz, Mexico. The original footage was posted on TikTok on October 11, 2025 nearly a month before Typhoon Kalmaegi struck the Philippines. The clip was clearly labeled with the location “Poza Rica De Hidalgo Veracruz, 10/10/2025,” and showed the same couple navigating chest-deep floodwaters in their neighborhood.
In the video, an elderly man can be seen carrying his wife through muddy water before both of them climb onto a rooftop to await rescue. Their ordeal became a deeply emotional story in Mexico, where local media outlets identified them as Hilario Reynosa and Elodia Reyes. The man recounted in interviews that his wife could not swim and that he had to pull her to safety as floodwaters destroyed their home. Following the incident, Reyes’ health deteriorated, and she passed away on October 27, 2025.
Misrepresentation on Social Media
The video was later reuploaded in early November, just after Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in the central Philippines. Misleading posts replaced the original caption with Tagalog text claiming the couple were Filipinos trapped during the Cebu floods. This false narrative spread rapidly, amplified by pages sharing emotional disaster content.
Many users shared the images believing them to be authentic scenes from the Philippines, unaware that the event had occurred in Mexico weeks earlier. The misleading posts gained significant traction, particularly as they coincided with real coverage of Typhoon Kalmaegi’s destruction, which claimed over 180 lives and left hundreds missing.
Verification of Location and Context
Visual analysis by CyberPoe confirmed that the buildings, streetlights, and background structures in the video matched those seen in Google Street View imagery of Poza Rica, Veracruz. The surrounding environment including signage and architectural details clearly identified the scene as Mexican, not Filipino.
Furthermore, the timeline of the footage aligns with the flooding that swept across eastern and central Mexico in October 2025, triggered by weeks of torrential rainfall. These events were widely covered internationally and predate any flooding caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi by several weeks.
Conclusion
The viral photos of an elderly couple allegedly taken during Typhoon Kalmaegi in Cebu are misattributed. They originate from Mexico’s Poza Rica floods in October 2025 and have no connection to the Philippines or the recent typhoon. The spread of this false claim highlights how emotionally charged imagery is often repurposed to exploit real tragedies and gain social media engagement.
CyberPoe concludes that the claim is false and represents a misleading attribution of foreign imagery to a domestic disaster. Sharing such misinformation not only distorts public understanding but also disrespects the victims of both tragedies those in Mexico and those genuinely affected by Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines.
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